Automatic fire-extinguisher.



No. 732,494. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903. F. M. ALLEN. AUTMATIG PIRE EXTINGUISHER.

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uw ww UNITED STATES Patented .T une 30,1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED M; ALLEN, OF AUBURN, RHODE ISLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '732,4524, dated J' une 30, 1903. A Application tiled April 15, 1903. Serial No. 152,665. (No model.)

. following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in automatic fire-extinguishers, known in the arts as automatic sprinklers, for automatically extinguishing ires with water or other uids.

In automatic fire-extinguishers or sprinklers as heretofore constructed more damage is' caused by the excessive flow ot Water through the sprinkler (after theV iire has been extinguished by the sprinkler) than was caused by the fire'.

The object of my invention -is to prevent excessive damage by water in small tires after the tire has been extinguished by the automatic sprinklers, and I accomplish this object by the novel construction of an automatic sprinkler having two valves independently controlled by low and high temperature solderings, the fusing of the low-temperature solder opening one valve and allowing a predetermined amount of Water to fiow through the sprinkler to extinguish a smallre. The Valve is then automatically closed. If this amount of Water `is not sufficient to extin guish the tire, the increased heat of the fire fuses the high-temperature solder and opens the other valve, allowing a continuous flow of Water through the sprinkler to extinguish the tire. After the reis extinguished the mechanism in the auxiliary pipe to automaticallyclose the low-temperature valve after a predetermined amount of water has passed through the sprinkler, the open position of the low-temperature valve and the position of the mechanism in the auxiliary pipe after closing thev .valve being shown in broken lines. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken lengthwise through the auxiliary pipe and the automatic valve-closing mechanism; and'V Fig. 3 isa transverse sectional view'taken on line X'X of Fig. 2, showing the motor for operating the valve-closing mechanism.

In the drawings, a indicates the sprinkler, b the auxiliary pipe, and c the supply-pipe, the sprinkler being connected to the auxiliary pipe by the elbow b. The sprinkler@ has the inlet-opening a', branching into the valve-opening a2, controlled by the valve a3, and the valve-opening a4, controlled by the valve d5, the valveshaving seats formed in the body of the sprinkler in the usual way. The opening of the valve a3 or a5 allows the water to pass through the valve-opening a2 or a4, the chamber a6, and the nozzle a7, when it strikes the deflector as, secured on the end of the nozzle by the frame a9. The valvechambers d10 am are placed at an angle to each other and have their upper ends closed by the caps alla, screw-threaded into the ends of the chambers. The valve-stems pass through the holes in the caps and have nuts secured von their ends, and between these nuts and the caps the spring-washers Q12 0,12 are placed to assist inopeningvthe valves. The levers als 0,13 are pivotally secured at one ,end to the nozzle a7 of the sprinkler and bear on the ends of the Valve-stems and are secured in'their closed position by the hooked 'ends '0.14 a, passing underl the ends of the locking-arms als @15, pivotally secured to the outer edges of the valve-chambers. These locking-arms L15 a have the downward'ly'ex# IOO is the automatic valve-closing mechanism, consisting of the cylinder ZJ', secured in the end of the pipe by the screw-threads h2 and having the arms b3 Z911, supporting the bearings b1 and b5, through which the rod bs moves lengthwise and is prevented from turning by the spline b1 in the bearing b5, working in the groove bs. running lengthwise of the rod. The motor 010, placed between the bearings b4 and b5, has the elongated hub Z911, with the hole b1z for the rod h6 and the wings Z213 Z213 set at an angle to revolve the hub Z211 on the rod 116 by the force of the fluid in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 1. The end Z 11 of the hub is in screw-threaded engagement with the screw-threaded end b1 of the rod Z111, and secured to the inner end of the rod Z111 bythe flexible wire Z115 is the Valveclosing ball Z116, made preferably hollow.

In the operation of my improved automatic twin sprinkler caused by fire the solder d melts at a low temperature and releases the locking-arm L1", the lever L13, and the lowtemperature Valve a5, which opens under the pressule of the water assisted by the springwasher 0.12. The water now passes through the valve-opening 1.2, the chamber a, and the nozzle c7 and strikes the dellector-plate a8 and is deflected in the form of a spray onto the fire. The amount of water allowed to flow through the low-temperatu re valve-open# ing is governed by the number of revolutions required of the motor Z910 on the rod b6 to release the screw-threaded end b1 from the hub of the motor. When the rod is released, the ball b1, the wire Z915, and the rod are carried inward by the force of the water or other liquid until the ball 516 enters and closes the valve-opening L2 and stops the flow of Water, as'shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. If this predetermined amount of water is not sufficient to extinguish the fire, the increased heat of the re will melt the high-temperature solder e, opening the high-temperature Valve a5. A continuous stream of water will now come from the sprinkler through the valve-open- .ing a4, and when the fire is extinguished the water may be shut off from the main in the usual way.

It is evident that the amount of water al-A claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Inafire-extinguishingsystem havingautomatic sprinklers, means consisting of low and high temperature Valves in the sprinklers, controlled by low and high temperature fusible solderings, and means for automatically closing the low-temperature valve after a predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the sprinkler, for the purpose as described.

2. In an automatic sprinkler, means consisting of a plurality of valves in the sprinkler controlled by a plurality of solderngs fusible at different temperatures, and means for automatically closing one ofthe valves after a predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the sprinkler, for the purpose as described.

3. In an automatic sprinkler, means consisting of two valves in the Sprinkler controlling the outlet-opening, means consisting of solder fusible at a low temperature and solder fusible at a high temperature controlling the valves, and means for automatically closing the valve controlled by the low-temperature fusible solder after a predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the sprinkler, for the purpose as described.

4. In an automatic sprinkler, means consistin g of two valves in the sprinkler controlling the outlet-opening, and controlled by two solderings fusible at low and high temperatures, and means consisting of mechanism connected with a motor actuated by the fluid passing through the sprinkler to close the lowtemperature-controlled valve, after a predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the sprinkler, for the purpose as described.

connected to a rod, a motor in screw-thread engagement with the rod and actuated by the:

fluid passing through the sprinkler to release the rod and ball and close the 1ow-tempera ture-controlled Valve after a predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the sprinkler, for the purpose as described.

6. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination with the sprinkler a, of the inlet-openingV a branching into the Valve-opening a.l controlled by the valve L3 and the Valve-opening L1 controlled by the valve 0,5, the chamber a and the outlet opening or nozzle a7, the deflector-plate L11 supported on the frame a9, the valve-chambers L10 L10 closed by the caps 0L11a11 having holes for the valve-stems, the springwashers L12 L12 to assist in opening the valves, the levers L13a13 pivotally secured to the sprinkler and bearing on the valve-stems and secured in'their closed position by the hooked ends L11 L11 passing under the ends of the locking-arms L15 L15 with the downwardly-extending ends L1G L16 pivotally secured to the sprinkler, the open frames L17 L11 secured to the sprinkler, and the solder d fusible at a low temperature and the solder e fusible at a high temperature, as described.

7. In an automatic sprinkler, the Combination with the sprinkler a, of the auxiliary pipe b connected to the sprinkler by the elbow b" and to a supply-pipe, the cylinder b secured in the auxiliary pipe by the screw-threads b2 l and having the arms b3 b3 supporting the bearings b4 and b5, the rod b with the groove bs working on the spline 197 and having the screwthreaded end b9, the motor b1@ consisting,r of the hub b with the hole Z912, the wings Z113 b5 and the end Z114 of the hub in screw-thread env gagement with the end b9 of the rod 196 and the wire Z915 exibiy securing the valve-closin g ball bw to the rod 296, al1 for the purpose as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED M. ALLEN.

Witnesses: l

B. S. WEBSTER, J. A. MILLER, J r. 

